Community Corner

Site Ranks Murrieta Among California's 'Best Cities for Young Families'

NerdWallet.com ranked Murrieta No. 4, which is top among Southern California cities, followed closely by Irvine at No. 5, Lake Forest at No. 6 and Redlands at No. 8.

Those who have thought to themselves, “I really enjoy raising my family here in Murrieta,” may be onto something.

NerdWallet, a consumer advocacy website, analyzed national and statewide data to determine the best cities in California for raising a family. Murrieta ranked high, coming in at No. 4, on the list that evaluated five factors: public school rating, median home value, ongoing cost of homeownership, median income and economic growth.

Here is why NerdWallet says it ranked Murrieta fourth when combining all aspects:

Find out what's happening in Murrietawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“For southern California families looking for affordable housing and lots of activities, Murrieta has lot to offer. The city already has 12 family events set for the coming year, including a “star party” in February where families can look at the stars through telescopes, do crafts and enjoy time outdoors. The graduation rates at Murrieta’s three high schools were 98 percent, 94.5 percent and 96.8 percent respectively, according to the California Department of Education Data Reporting Office. The median household income, at $80,792, was higher than our previous choices of Clovis and Yuba City. However, because the city sits in the South Coast Air Quality Basin, the air quality is routinely poor. The American Lung Association gave the Murrieta-Riverside-County-area an F for air quality in 2013.  Murrieta has a plan to improve air quality by conducting air quality impact studies before doing any new construction, encouraging biking and walking rather than driving and working with state and federal authorities to meet air quality requirements. The city also adopted a climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure better air quality for the future.”

The website ranked Murrieta top among Southern California cities, followed closely by Irvine at No. 5, Lake Forest at No. 6 and Redlands at No. 8.

Find out what's happening in Murrietawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Clovis, near Fresno, was the website’s No. 1 pick, with Folsom second best and Yuba City third.

Click here to read the complete article and view the website’s list of the 20 “Best Cities for Young Families in California.”


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